Where did slam poetry come from?

The roots of slam poetry can be traced back to the 1950s and 1960s when poets began performing their work in coffeehouses and bars. One of the earliest poets to perform in this way was Bob Kaufman, who performed at The Place, a coffeehouse in San Francisco. In the 1970s, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe opened in New York City and became a hub for slam poetry. The first National Poetry Slam competition was held in 1990 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Since then, the popularity of slam poetry has grown.